How do you see this one playing out? Here are our staff picks with final scores and bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints‘ road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14. Tyler Shough couldn’t make much headway after being thrown in at halftime against the Bucs a month ago, but he’s had four games to get up to speed. Can he make a difference in this NFC South rematch?
Buccaneers 20, Saints 17
Mike Evans will not be making his return this Sunday against the Saints, dialing back some expected spark in a rivalry that always seems to orbit around him. Tampa Bay enters the matchup coming off a narrow win against Arizona, snapping a three-game losing streak, but they still haven’t looked like the confident team they were earlier in the season. New Orleans, meanwhile, continues to search for consistency, but an energized second-half performance against Miami offered a glimpse of offensive life. The growing chemistry between Tyler Shough and DeVaughn Vele may prove to be one of the more encouraging storylines for this team moving forward, especially with both players in their first year with the Saints. This matchup feels like a game that will come down to the final possession. The Saints defense should give Baker Mayfield plenty of pressure and present opportunities for takeaways, but in the end, Tampa Bay finds the timely plays when they matter most. Bold prediction: Cameron Jordan sacks Baker Mayfield twice, bringing him to six sacks in his last four games and 8.5 on the year. — Luke Loffredo
Buccaneers 27, Saints 13
This could be ugly. Frankly, if Tampa Bay is going to be a true contender for a deep playoff run, it should get ugly. The talent gap between these two teams is that wide. New Orleans could have a punchers chance behind Tyler Shough and the passing game, an area where Tampa Bay’s defense has struggled. This would mean big games from Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and Juwan Johnson. It will also require exceptional pass protection up front, something that the Saints seem incapable of doing. Defensively, New Orleans may be up to the task of containing Baker Mayfield and the Bucs through the air. However, I can’t see the Saints shutting down the Tampa Bay running game or sacking Mayfield enough to make a difference. Bold prediction: Tyler Shough throws for over 300 yards and Devaughn Vele has over 100 yards receiving. It’s the first time in the respective careers of each player that those thresholds are reached. — Bob Rose
Buccaneers 35, Saints 16
Another week of having to watch a disappointing New Orleans Saints squad take on a team that should be significantly better than them. While the Saints have gotten away with a somewhat easy schedule the last few weeks, they’ve struggled against real competition, and even sometimes against lesser teams. This should be pretty reminiscent of the first matchup between these two sides, and with the Saints’ offense barely functioning as-is, it won’t be much easier against the Bucaneers’ defense. Bold Prediction: Charlie Smyth gets more utilization in this one, making three field goals and building off an impressive first game where he already likely got some trust from the coaching staff. — Jeremy Trottier
Buccaneers 21, Saints 16
I don’t like New Orleans’ chances without Taliese Fuaga in the lineup; the starting right tackle is missing another game while managing a couple of different injuries this season. Even a bad year for the Tampa Bay pass rush has them ranked near league average, and that’s going to make life hard for Tyler Shough with just two of his Week 1 starters available on the offensive line. On defense, we have yet to see if the Saints can slow down running back Sean Tucker, and with Bucky Irving dealing with an injury he has another chance to run wild. Bold prediction: Charlie Smyth hits three field goals from distances of 30, 40, and 50 yards. — John Sigler